Shortcuts to great quality wood

Our friends at Jotul have prepared this great article on tips and advice related to your wood supply...

A wood stove is never better than the wood that is burned in it. Wood types act a bit different – some smoulder and turn into big pieces of charcoal, others burn quickly and intensly, but the common factor is that the wood must be as dry as possible. This provides the best heat and easiest lighting, and makes it much easier to burn wood in an environmentally consious way.

If the wood is not dry, the heat in the wood stove will be used to evaporate moisture and emissions of particular matter and other pollution increases simultaneously. Ignore all old superstition that the wood should be a little bit "damp". The ideal is as little moisture as possible. The minimum requirement in the trade for calling wood "dry" is 20% moisture, but it is no problem to get it down to 14-15% in an ordinary climate and such an imporovement is definately noticeable...

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Ask the Experts

Should I leave my pilot light running when I am not using the stove/fireplace?

During the fall and winter months when the fireplace is most in demand, even though electronic ignition systems allow for the turn off/on of the pilot with ease, in our climate it can be very risky to let the unit sit stagnant in regards to cold weather and increased moisture which enter through the fresh air portion of the venting at all times. Don't forget, without your pilot light the inside of your unit is the same temperature as the outside! Over exposure to these temperatures can cause the pilot to seize and fail when you really need it the most.